The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since then you have become an academy as part of The Good Shepherd Trust. The senior leadership team has been restructured as a result of you being appointed as executive headteacher and your deputy headteacher taking over as head of school. A number of new teachers have joined the school since the previous inspection. You work closely with your governors, senior leaders and advisers from the trust to ensure that all pupils receive a good-quality education within a stimulating and attractive environment. You have built a talented team of leaders and teachers who share your ambitions and high expectations. You have established a culture in which all pupils are equally valued for the unique contribution that they make to the school. Christian values of caring, kindness and compassion permeate all aspects of the school’s work. Your positive ethos enables all staff to do their best for the pupils in school. One parent summed up the views of many when they said, ‘We are really pleased that Waverley Abbey has a rounded approach to education. The teachers are caring and dedicated and really know our children well.’ You and your team have an accurate view of the school’s strengths because you make effective use of all available information to analyse the school’s performance. Your plans for improvement are based firmly on the outcomes of your incisive analysis. Governors contribute effectively to school improvement because they are well informed. They visit school regularly to ensure that agreed targets and actions are implemented as planned. Minutes from governors’ meetings show that they provide a good balance of professional challenge and support to school leaders. Pupils are happy at school and this is reflected in their attendance, which is above average for primary schools. They enjoy learning and speak enthusiastically about the wide range of activities that add to their enjoyment of school. In classrooms, pupils are fully engaged and they behave exceptionally well. They listen respectfully to their teachers and to each other. Pupils are kind and considerate and value each other regardless of their differences. As one pupil said, ‘It doesn’t matter if you are tall like me, or small like her, we all matter.’ The previous inspection report recommended that leaders raise the quality of teaching so that pupils achieve at the highest levels. You were asked to do this by allowing teachers to share the best practice that exists in the school and learn from each other. This is now embedded across the school. Teachers visit each other’s classrooms both formally and informally to share their skills and knowledge. As a result, teaching is typically lively and engaging and enables pupils across the school to progress well. You use your year leaders, all of whom are effective practitioners, to lead their teams by modelling good practice and then checking that agreed actions have been put into place. Safeguarding is effective. The school has a strong culture of safeguarding that underpins all aspects of the school’s work. Leaders maintain comprehensive records of concerns electronically. This enables the designated safeguarding leaders to build a picture of emerging issues and intervene before matters escalate. All staff are provided with regular training so that they know exactly what action to take should they have a concern that a pupil may be at risk from harm. Governors ensure that the safeguarding policy is reviewed in a timely way and that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Pupils say that they feel safe in school and that adults respond to any concerns that they may have. They develop their understanding of how to stay safe through the curriculum and through helpful information displayed around the school. Pupils know how to stay safe when using modern technology. They are taught to be careful and not to provide personal information when using the internet. Inspection findings At the beginning of this short inspection we agreed to focus on: how effectively teaching enables pupils currently in school to make good progress in writing and mathematics; the effectiveness of subject and year group leaders; how well the planned curriculum allows pupils to use their writing and mathematical skills when learning other subjects. Pupils currently in school make good progress in writing and mathematics. School leaders took decisive action to improve pupils’ rates of progress following the disappointing outcomes in the Year 6 national tests in 2018. Although pupils’ attainment in writing and mathematics was well above the national average, they did not all make the progress expected of them. This was because a number of pupils did not have a secure grasp of basic skills and gaps in their learning had not closed quickly enough. Leaders of English and mathematics provided training for staff on these aspects of teaching that most need to improve. This is already making a positive impact on pupils’ progress. Most teachers use interesting resources to develop pupils’ understanding. For example, in Year 6, pupils produced some thoughtful written responses to a short video clip featuring a girl who turned into a doll. Having watched the short video, pupils spent time discussing and sharing their ideas. This helped them to understand how to build suspense by using devices such as short sentences, ellipsis and rhetorical questions. In mathematics, teachers make clear links with previous learning so that pupils build their skills and knowledge systematically. Work in pupils’ books shows that, from when they join the school, the large majority of pupils make good progress in writing and in mathematics. One of the strengths of teaching is the quality of feedback provided to pupils, in line with the school’s marking and feedback policy. This gives helpful guidance to pupils so that they know how to improve their work. Pupils edit their writing by changing spellings, adding correct punctuation and improving their vocabulary choices. Similarly, in mathematics, pupils correct their work and learn from their mistakes. In classrooms, teachers check pupils’ work and talk about their learning. However, there are times when teachers miss opportunities, both in class and when looking at pupils’ work, to challenge pupils further to deepen their understanding. This prevents pupils from making rapid progress, particularly in writing and mathematics. Subject leaders have received training to enhance their leadership skills. As a result, they have a good understanding of the strengths of their subjects and they have implemented effective actions for improvement. The subject leader for English provided training showing teachers new ways of how pupils may be taught to edit their written work. The mathematics leader introduced a new scheme that helps pupils to build a secure grasp of mathematics. Both of these initiatives are showing early signs of success as pupils gain confidence and make good progress. Subject leaders are given time out of the classroom to visit other classes to check that their colleagues are implementing agreed actions, and to provide extra support where needed. School leaders are rightly proud of the rich and stimulating curriculum that they provide. It is well thought out, with interesting topics that capture pupils’ imaginations and inspire them to learn. It is designed to provide opportunities for pupils to use their literacy and mathematics skills wherever possible in other subjects to strengthen their learning. For example, pupils often have to explain their answers in response to written problems in mathematics. Teachers also look for opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills in subjects such as science and geography and so that their learning in mathematics has a real purpose and relevance. Good-quality resources are used by teachers to promote the subject being taught, as well as to support pupils’ writing skills. Visits to local places of interest linked to a topic extend pupils’ vocabulary as well as giving them a purpose to write. In this way, pupils apply their literacy skills when learning other subjects and so reinforce reading and writing. A wide range of extra-curricular activities including sports, music and art enhance the curriculum. One of the unique features of the Year 6 curriculum is the Waverley Abbey Challenge. This is open to all Year 6 pupils and invites them to complete a variety of challenges both at home and at school to develop life skills and prepare them for the next stage of their education. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: all teachers use every opportunity to extend pupils learning by providing a high enough level of challenge in all lessons. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, and the chief executive officer of the multi academy trust, the director of education for the Diocese of Guildford, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Surrey. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Joy Considine Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection I visited eight classes with you or your head of school to observe pupils working. I spoke to pupils about their work and I looked at work in their books. During lunchtime, I spoke informally with pupils. I met with you and other senior leaders during the inspection. I met with three governors, including the chair of governors, and I held a telephone discussion with two representatives from the academy trust. The views of parents were taken into account by analysing 73 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View as well as 51 written responses on free-text. I also considered 38 responses to the staff survey and 141 pupil questionnaires. Among the documents that I reviewed were your own analysis of the school’s performance and your plans for development. I looked at minutes from governors’ meetings and information showing how you keep pupils safe.